NRL DRAW: Two Home games to start 2016

The Canberra Raiders will begin their 2016 NRL Campaign with a match against the Panthers at GIO Stadium on Saturday, March 5 at 3.00pm.

It will be the first of back to back home games to start the season, with the Green Machine set to face the Roosters the following Saturday at 3.00pm on their home turf in Canberra.

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The Raiders will play five of their first eight home matches of the season at home against the Panthers, Roosters, Titans, Sharks and Tigers, with the chance to start the season with some strong home form and set up a run at the NRL finals for the first time since 2012.

The Raiders will also have the opportunity to host a home match during the ANZAC Day weekend, when they play the Tigers on Saturday April 23 at GIO Stadium.

The Raiders will once again travel to some unusual venues in 2016, as they play the Panthers in Bathurst in round nine at Carrington Park, while they will travel to Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth (NZ) in round 11 to face the New Zealand Warriors.  

The Green Machine will play two Thursday night matches in the opening 20 rounds when they play the Dragons at Jubilee Oval in round 10, while they travel to Suncorp Stadium for the first time since 2012 to play the Broncos in round 14.

The Raiders away game travel will be lightened towards the back end of the season, with games from round 17 at either home or against opponents based in NSW.

The Raiders have been given four free-to-air matches in the opening 20 rounds, including home games against the Bulldogs in round 12 (Sunday) and Sea Eagles in round 13 (Friday night).

The full NRL season draw is available at www.nrl.com